This paper reports on findings from a survey of public understanding of climate change and global warming amongst residents in the south of England. Whereas much previous research has relied on survey checklists to measure public understanding of climate change, this study employed a more qualitative approach to reveal participants' unprompted conceptions of climate change and global warming. Overall, the findings show a tendency for the public to dissociate themselves from the causes, impacts, and responsibility for tackling climate change/global warming. This research gave particular attention to how terminology is understood by the public. The findings point to important qualitative, as well as quantitative, differences between public understanding of “climate change” and public understanding of “global warming.” Furthermore, the latter term was found to evoke more concern than the former. As discussed in the article, these results have important implications for both researchers and communicators.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BBC (2004) "Poll for Climate Change Special," URL (consulted January 2005): www.bbc.co.uk
2.
Bibbings, J. (2004) Climate Concern: Attitudes to Climate Change and Windfarms in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Consumer Council and Friends of the Earth Cymru.
3.
Black, C., Collins, A. and Snell, M. (2001) "Encouraging Walking: the Case of Journey-to-School Trips in Compact Urban Areas," Urban Studies38(7): 1121-41.
4.
Boardman, B. and Darby, A. (2000) Effective Advice: Energy Efficiency and the Disadvantaged. Environmental Change Institute Research Report 24. Oxford : University of Oxford.
5.
Bord, R.J., O'Connor, R.E. and Fisher, A. (2000) "In What Sense Does the Public Need to Understand Global Climate Change?," Public Understanding of Science9: 205-18.
6.
Bostrom, A., Morgan, M.G., Fischhoff, B. and Read, D. (1994) "What Do People Know about Global Climate Change? 1. Mental Models," Risk Analysis14(6): 959-70.
7.
Bulkeley, H. (2000) "Common Knowledge? Public Understanding of Climate Change in Newcastle, Australia," Public Understanding of Science9: 313-33.
8.
Burgess, J., Harrison, C. and Filius, P. (1998) "Environmental Communication and the Cultural Politics of Environmental Citizenship," Environment and Planning A30: 1445-60.
9.
Corbett, J.B. and Durfee, J.L. (2004) "Testing Public (Un)Certainty of Science: Media Representations of Global Warming," Science Communication26(2): 129-51.
10.
Darier, E. and Schule, R. (1999) "`Think Globally, Act Locally'? Climate Change and Public Participation in Manchester and Frankfurt," Local Environment4(3): 317-29.
11.
DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs) (2002) Survey of Public Attitudes to Quality of Life and to the Environment-2001. London: DEFRA.
12.
DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs) (2004) Review of the UK Climate Change Programme: Consultation Paper. London: HMSO .
13.
DEFRA (2007) Survey of Public Attitudes and Behaviors towards the Environment: 2007. London: DEFRA.
14.
Dunlap, R. (1998) "Lay Perceptions of Global Risk: Public Views of Global Warming in Cross-National Context," International Sociology13(4): 473-98.
15.
EST (Energy Saving Trust) (1999) EST Briefing: The Case for the Climate Change Levy. London : Energy Saving Trust.
16.
Evans, G. and Durant, J. (1995) "The Relationship between Knowledge and Attitudes in the Public Understanding of Science in Britain," Public Understanding of Science4: 57-74.
17.
Finger, M. (1994) "From Knowledge to Action: Exploring the Relationships between Environmental Experiences, Learning and Behavior," Journal of Social Issues50(3): 141-60.
18.
Hargreaves, I., Lewis, J. and Speers, T. (2003) Towards a Better Map: Science, the Public and the Media. London: Economic and Social Research Council.
19.
Henderson-Sellers, A. (1998) "Climate Whispers: Media Communication about Climate Change," Climatic Change40(3-4): 421-56.
20.
Henriksen, E. and Jorde, D. (2001) "High School Students' Understanding of Radiation and the Environment: Can Museums Play a Role?," Science Education85(2): 189-206.
21.
Hinchliffe, S. (1996) "Helping the Earth Begins at Home: the Social Construction of Socio-environmental Responsibilities," Global Environmental Change6(1): 53-62.
22.
Hinds, K., Carmichael, C. and Snowling, H. (2002) Public Attitudes to the Environment in Scotland 2002. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive .
23.
HM Government (2007) Draft Climate Change Bill. Norwich: TSO.
24.
Houghton, J., ed. (2004) Global Warming: The Complete Briefing, 3rd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
25.
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2001) Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Summary for Policymakers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
26.
IPCC (2007) The Physcial Science Basis. Summary for Policymakers. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva: IPCC.
27.
Jackson, R., Barbagallo, F. and Haste, H. (2005) "Strengths of Public Dialogue on Science-related Issues," Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy8(3): 349-58.
28.
Kempton, W. (1991) "Lay Perspectives on Global Climate Change," Global Environmental Change1(3): 183-208.
29.
Kempton, W. (1997) "How the Public Views Climate Change," Environment39(9): 12-21.
30.
Kempton, W., Darley, J.M. and Stern, P. (1992) "Psychological Research for the New Energy Problems ," American Psychologist47(10): 1213-23.
31.
Leiserowitz, A. (2003) "Global Warming in the American Mind: The Roles of Affect, Imagery, and Worldviews in Risk Perception, Policy Preferences and Behavior," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oregon.
32.
Levy-Leblond, J.-M. (1992) "About Misunderstandings about Misunderstandings ," Public Understanding of Science1: 17-21.
33.
Lofstedt, R. (1996) "An Evaluation of a UK Energy Conservation Programme ," Energy and Environment7(1): 41-9.
34.
Lorenzoni, I., Leiserowitz, A., Doria, M., Poortinga, W. and Pidgeon, N. (2006) "Cross National Comparisons of Image Associations with `Global Warming' and `Climate Change' among Laypeople in the United States of America and Great Britain," Journal of Risk Research9(3): 265-81.
35.
Lorenzoni, I., Nicholson-Cole, S. and Whitmarsh, L. (2007) "Barriers Perceived to Engaging with Climate Change among the UK Public and their Policy Implications," Global Environmental Change17(3-4): 445-459.
36.
Marshall, S. (1995) Schemas in Problem Solving. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
37.
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. (1984) Qualitative Data Analysis: a Sourcebook of New Methods. London: SAGE Publications .
38.
MORI (2002) "The Environment: Who Cares?," URL (consulted January 2005): www.mori.com/environment
39.
MORI (2005) Science in Society: Findings from Qualitative and Quantitative Research. London : MORI.
40.
Newhouse, N. (1990) "Implications of Attitude and Behavior Research for Environmental Conservation," Journal of Environmental Education22(1): 26-32.
41.
Norton, A. and Leaman, J. (2004) The Day After Tomorrow: Public Opinion on Climate Change. London: MORI Social Research Institute.
42.
Oliver, N. (1990) "Work Rewards, Work Values and Organisational Commitment in an Employee-owned Firm: Evidence from the UK," Human Relations43: 513-26.
43.
Poortinga, W. and Pidgeon, N.F. (2003) Public Perceptions of Risk, Science and Governance . Norwich: University of East Anglia /MORI.
44.
Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N. and Lorenzoni, I. (2006) Public Perceptions of Nuclear Power, Climate Change and Energy Options in Britain: Summary Findings of a Survey Conducted during October and November 2005. Understanding Risk Working Paper 06-02. Norwich: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.
45.
Ray, J.J. (1990) "Acquiescence and Problems with Forced-choice Scales ," Journal of Social Psychology130(3): 397-9.
46.
RCEP (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution) (2000) Energy: The Changing Climate. Twenty-second report . London: HMSO.
47.
Read, D., Bostrom, A., Morgan, M.G., Fischhoff, B. and Smuts, T. (1994) "What Do People Know about Global Climate Change? 2. Survey Studies of Educated Laypeople," Risk Analysis14(6): 971-82.
48.
United Nations (1992) "United Nations Framework Agreement on Climate Change," URL (consulted October 2006): http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/background/items/2853.php
49.
Whitmarsh, L. (2004) "Communicating Climate Change: Challenges Posed by the Divergence in Lay and Expert Understanding," Paper presented at the Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference (PCST-8), Barcelona, Spain, 3-6 June.
50.
Whitmarsh, L. (2005) "A Study of Public Understanding of and Response to Climate Change in the South of England," unpublished doctoral thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Bath.
51.
Whitmarsh, L. (in press) "Behavioural Response to Climate Change: Asymmetry of Intentions and Impacts. Journal of Environment Psychology, in press.
52.
Whitmarsh, L. (2008a) Are Flood Victims More Concerned about Climate Change than Other People? The Role of Direct Experience in Risk Perception and Behavioural Response. Journal of Risk Research11(3): 351-374.
53.
Wynne, B. (1991) "Knowledges in Context," Science, Technology and Human Values16(1): 111-21.
